'The game is over': Italy halts Rome bid for 2024 Olympics

[webfact]

'The game is over': Italy halts Rome bid for 2024 Olympics

By ANDREW DAMPF

 

ROME (AP) — Italy suspended Rome's bid for the 2024 Olympics on Tuesday, forced to pull the plug because of the staunch opposition of the city's mayor.

 

Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago said that he had written to the IOC announcing the decision to "interrupt the candidacy."

While the letter left open a small possibility for a revival of the bid if there is a change in city government, Malago didn't hold out much hope.

 

"Today the game is over. But if someone decides that the game isn't over it's not up to us. But today we're ending the game," Malago told The Associated Press after his announcement at a news conference. "That's it."

 

The move comes after Rome's city council voted last month to withdraw support of the bid on the recommendation of Mayor Virginia Raggi.

 

"The bid committee is officially liquidated as of today," Malago said. "It's a big wound for us. I hope they realize how bad an impression we've made."

 

The International Olympic Committee said it had "taken note" of the Italian decision and "will further explore with the candidature committee what this means."

 

"All the circumstances and the information that we have received in the past days clearly demonstrate that this is about Italian politics only," the IOC said.

 

Rome's withdrawal leaves only Los Angeles, Paris, and Budapest, Hungary, in the running for the 2024 Games. The IOC will select the host city in September 2017.

 

It's also the second time in four years that a Rome bid has been withdrawn or suspended. In 2012, then-premier Mario Monti scrapped the city's bid for the 2020 Olympics because of financial concerns.

 

"I feel like I've been robbed of hope," Rome bid vice president and Italian Paralympic Committee president Luca Pancalli said.

 

Hoping to regain the trust of the IOC, Malago said he was offering up Milan as host of the IOC session in 2019.

 

"This is the first step of Italy's rehabilitation after this unacceptable interruption," Malago said. "The other evening I had a chance to discuss this possibility with (IOC President) Thomas Bach and IOC general director Christophe De Kepper and there is ample support for this idea."

 

"This is a way to turn the page and move on," Malago added.

 

Raggi, who represents the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, said that taking on the costs of an Olympic bid is "irresponsible" for a city struggling to emerge from years of corruption and poor public services.

 

While Raggi wrote a letter to the IOC last month, IOC rules state that only the national Olympic committee can withdraw a candidacy.

 

"Anybody can write to the IOC but the only letter that counts is the one from the president of the Olympic committee," Malago said.

 

Since being elected in June as Rome's first female mayor, Raggi has had a rough first few months in office. Her administration was thrown into chaos after she dismissed her Cabinet chief and four other officials resigned.

 

A budget of 24 million euros ($27 million) had been allotted — much of it spent — to the 2024 candidacy, even though bid leader Luca Cordero di Montezemolo had no salary.

 

Malago revealed that he would have promoted Nerio Alessandri, the entrepeneur who is president and founder of Technogym, as organizing committee president if Rome had won, with architect Renzo Piano in a supervisory position.

 

"But I was never able to speak with the mayor since she was elected," Malago said.

 

Malago compared Rome's situation to Vancouver's withdrawal six months before the 1980 Winter Games were awarded to Lake Placid in 1976. Vancouver had to wait 30 years to host the 2010 Winter Games.

 

"While it's true that Canada had two games in the intervening years — Montreal (1976) and Calgary (1988) — I think Vancouver paid a big price for that decision," Malago said. "Rome and Italy find themselves in a similar situation today."

 

Still, the "interruption" of the bid is another signal that the IOC still has work to do to convince cities that hosting the games is a boon and not a burden.

 

Last month, a city government panel in Tokyo warned that the cost of the 2020 Olympics could exceed $30 billion, more than four times the initial estimates.

 

Voters in Hamburg rejected the German city's 2024 bid in a referendum, and Boston dropped out last year amid a lack of public and political support and was replaced as the U.S. candidate by Los Angeles.

 

Four cities withdrew during the bidding for the 2022 Winter Games, leaving only two candidates in the field. Beijing, hardly known as a winter sports destination, defeated Almaty, Kazakhstan.

___

Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-10-12

[daveAustin]

Don't blame them. My vote would be Budapest. The US hasn't had it for a while, but LA would get my vote before Paris! With the expected costs that are par for the course with the Olympics, it can be a real hindrance unless funds are clawed back through tickets/tourism etc. While London 2012 was naturally pricey, they managed to keep under budget in the end while breaking even and making billions on the side through merch sales, trade and investment. Shudder to think how much the Chinese and Russians wasted for 2008/2014, and Rio also made huge losses. Something needs to change as it's more about showing off than the actual sport nowadays.

[canopus1969]

Sensible

[elgordo38]

I doubt if Italy will even be financially viable by the time 2024 rolls around. Mark December 4th on your calendar the start of the EU collapse. At least one saner head prevailed there. Pipe dreams and lollipops. Japan is already downsizing their 2020 misadventure. Seems the till was not as full as when they made their bid. Whatever the cost it will be borrowed money of course. Well its party time on credit of course till the bitter end. The Nero fiddled while Rome burned concept is alive and well today. 

Edited October 12, 2016 by elgordo38

[Ulic]

The International Olympic Committee said it had "taken note" of the Italian decision and "will further explore with the candidature committee what this means

 

I guess the IOC does not understand Italian and is waiting for a translation.

[Baerboxer]

Wonder if Paris will organize all the celebrations, fireworks, bands, flag waving public in for the announcement in 2017 like they did in 2012?

[Baerboxer]

If the Italian people vote to reject the Euro, the PM resigns, the new nationalists win the subsequent election - then Italy could be voting on leaving the EU, and might well decide to do so.

 

Renzzi is gambling that the Italians will want to keep the Euro, and he'll get some bigger say in EU things from the Germans and French going forward. Dodgy Dave gambles and got a shock!

 

Not the best time to be worrying about hosting the Olympics.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Baerboxer